Tigers Twist Golden Tornado In Section Clash
By: Jared Barton
The North Allegheny boys’ volleyball team took care of business again at UPMC Court Thursday night with a 3-0 win over section rival Butler. NA won by set scores of 25-13, 25-21 and 25-18.
The Tigers got off to a fast start in the first frame, scoring eight unanswered after giving up the game’s first point. During the run, NA registered kills from senior Matthew LaMay and Peter Bratich. Junior Elliott Swierczynski also recorded an ace. The Tigers maintained a healthy lead throughout the set, highlighted by a major diving effort from junior Jackson Failla. During a play that put the Tigers up by 10, Failla dove out of bounds to return the ball at an odd angle near the net and fell for a point in Butler territory. Junior Brendan Moore finished the quick set with a kill.
In set two, NA jumped out to an early lead, but the Golden Tornado had a different plan. Trailing 14-7, Butler used a 7-0 run to tie the set and eventually take the lead late. North Allegheny settled in and fought the adversity well using their own 7-0 run to take the second set victory. Moore and senior Garen White each had blocks, while junior Will Robertson registered two kills and a block. Junior Emmett Morris had an ace, while senior Elijah Braun had a kill and finished the set with an ace of his own.
The two teams battled and kept the scoring close in the final frame, but North Allegheny used to separate 4-0 runs at the end of the match to clinch the sweep. LaMay, Swierczynski and Failla had an ace each, while Bratich accounted for three kills and Robertson had two more kills.
Bratich took home Wright Automotive Player of the Game laurels with his efforts, leading the team with eight kills while accounting for two blocks. Morris led the team with 13 digs and Swierczynski had the most aces and assists with two and 16 respectively.
With the win, North Allegheny improves to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in section play. The Tigers are back in action on the road Monday for a pivotal section matchup with Seneca Valley at 7:00 p.m.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL SUMMARY VS. BUTLER, 4-3-25
| SCORE BY SETS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | 13 | 21 | 18 | 0 |
| North Allegheny | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
